Protective sleeve for refuse handling apparatus

ABSTRACT

A positive sleeve for refuse-handling adapted for use with a refuse compaction machine of the type using a reciprocating ram to compress the refuse into packages, such as flexible bags. The sleeve is resiliently expandable and is positioned in the compaction zone of the machine so that the reciprocating ram compacts the refuse into the sleeve. When the sleeve is substantially filled with compacted refuse the sleeve is moved from the compaction machine, and then removed from the compacted refuse leaving the refuse in a packaging container.

United States Patent 11 1 Merkin 1 1 PROTECTIVE SLEEVE FOR REFUSEHANDLING APPARATUS [75] Inventor: Eugene Merkin, Huntingdon Valley,

[73] Assignee: The Union Corporation, Verona, Pa.

[22] Filed: Feb. 8, 1972 [21] Appl. No: 224,614

100/246, 252; 220/1 T, 65, 63 R; 141/316, 141/390; 53/124 B; 248/99 [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8,625 1/1852 Bushnell 141/390 X35,075 4/1862 Brown 141/316 X 215,787 5/1879 Belt 100/3 X 320,052 6/1885Dorsey 141/316 X 325,254 9/1885 Lockwood 141/259 652,331 6/1900 Rudolph220/63 R 696,832 4/1902 Maschke 220/1 T 960,028 5/1910 Low 4 100/100 X2,111,327 3/1938 O'Hare 141/390 [451 May 27, 1975 2,384,709 9/1945Thoren 220/1 T 2,757,603 8/1956 Wilson et a1 100/226 3,115,986 12/1963Groff 220/65 X 3,405,744 10/1968 Bowman 141/390 X 3,527,439 9/1970Lawmaster 220/63 R 3,675,810 7/1972 Ross 220/1 T 3,722,561 3/1973 OLearyet al..... 141/316 3,727,546 4/1973 McKinney .1 100/229 A 3,734,3405/1973 lppolito et a1 220/63 R 3,756,150 9/1973 Bourgeois 100/229 A3,785,278 1/1974 Hopkins 100/229 A Primary Examiner-Billy J. WilhiteAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Fleit & Jacobson 7] ABSTRACT A positive sleevefor refuse-handling adapted for use with a refuse compaction machine ofthe type using a reciprocating ram to compress the refuse into packages,such as flexible bags. The sleeve is resiliently expandable and ispositioned in the compaction zone of the machine so that thereciprocating ram compacts the refuse into the sleeve. When the sleeveis substantially filled with compacted refuse the sleeve is moved fromthe compaction machine, and then removed from the compacted refuseleaving the refuse in a packaging container.

23 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PROTECTIVE SLEEVE FOR REFUSE HANDLINGAPPARATUS The present invention generally comprises a refusehandlingsystem which is adapted to dispose of refuse from multi-story orsingle-story buildings, such as apartment houses, office buildings,residential dwellings and similar structures.

More specifically, the invention relates to a refusehandling systemwhich is adapted to be used with refuse-compacting apparatus of the typeusing a reciprocating ram to compact the refuse into a specific size andvolume. The invention can be adapted for use with either ahorizontal-type compacting ram or a verticaltype compacting ram, such asthe type disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,424,078 and US. Pat. No. 3,74l,107. In particular, the present invention involves a modification ofand an improvement in the subject matter disclosed in the previouslyidentified application when used to compact the refuse into a containeror flexible package within the compacting zone of the machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Refuse-compacting equipment is increasinglybeing utilized to condense compressible solid and semi-solid materialsto reduced-volume packages. These reduced- It is a still further objectof this invention to accomplish the desired compaction and packaging byeconomical and inexpensive equipment which is easy to operate.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The foregoing objects and advantages are obtainedaccording to the present invention by a resiliently expandable sleevehaving size dimensions approximating, but slightly smaller than, thedimensions of the com pacting zone of the compaction machine. Theresilient volume packages serve to facilitate and expedite the handlingof refuse from its source to its final destination by reducing its bulk.Refuse-compacting equipment has previously been used for largecommercial buildings, but it is now available for single family typebuildings and smaller commercial establishments. In conjunction with thetransportation of refuse, it has become desirable to have the refusepackaged in a container or package. Flexible plastic bags or other thin,flexible containers are conventionally used for this purpose.

Previously, compacted refuse was placed into a package or container,such as a flexible plastic bag. The packaging of the compacted refuseconstituted an arduous, time-consuming and sometimes impossible tasksince small pieces from the compacted refuse always fell away before thecompacted refuse could be in serted into the bag. In order to overcomethis problem and eliminate the necessity for packaging the refuse afterit has been compacted, the present invention contemplates compacting andpackaging the refuse at the same time by placing an open ended packageor container in the compacting zone of the compacting machine and havingthe refuse compacted into the package or container itself. In order toaccomplish simultaneous compacting and packaging in conventionalflexible plastic bags or other thin packaging material or containers, ithas been found essential to protect the inside of the bag or packagefrom being torn, cut, split, etc., during the compaction gy glass, metaland other sharp rigid objects in the refuse being compacted.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to simultaneouslycompact and package conventional type refuse into packaging materials orcontainers.

It is another primary object of this invention to reduce bulk refusewith a ram-type compacting machine into a flexible plastic bag or otherconventional refuse container or package.

It is a further object of this invention to accomplish such compactioninside the refuse container, without cutting, tearing, splitting, etc.the container during the compaction.

sleeve is inserted into the flexible plastic bag or other package orcontainer, and then the bag or package containing the sleeve is placedinto the compacting zone to receive bulk refuse to be compacted. Theside walls of the compacting zone which surround the outside surface ofthe flexible bag or package are rigid and preferably smooth to preventcutting or tearing of the bag during compaction. The compacting ram isshaped to compact the bulk refuse within the sleeve, and the sleeve isdesigned to resiliently expand against the rigid walls of the compactingzone under the force of the compaction. As a result, the sleeve andsurrounding package are pressed against the side walls of the compactingzone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of apreferred refusehandling apparatus utilizing the protective sleeve.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the preferred refuse-handlingapparatus showing the dolly assembly with protective sleeve disengagedfrom the apparatus housing and the flexible plastic bag broken away.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the protective sleeve of this invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the protective sleeveshown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial front view of the horizontal hingeassembly of the refuse-handling apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 5 taken along lines 6-6.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of another embodiment ofthe protective sleeve.

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of another embodiment of theprotective sleeve.

FIG. 9 is a cross-section view of FIG. 8 taken abong line 9-9.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 8 taken along line 10-10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention as shown in thefigures comprises a modification and improvement of the refusecompacting apparatus and system disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,741,107.

As shown in FIGS. I and 2, housing 20 has compacting means 22 mountedtherein which is adapted to compact refuse in sleeve 24 placed withinthe housing. The basic function of the sleeve 24 is to provideprotection for a flexible plastic bag 25, or other package constructedof suitable material, against cutting, tearing and abrasion caused byloading refuse containing glass, metal and other sharp, rigid matterinto the refuse compactor for bulk reduction. This protection for bag 25is achieved by inserting the sleeve 24 into the bag so that the insidevertical surfaces of the bag are fully protected by the sleeve duringthe compacting of the re fuse.

The walls of housing form an internal compacting chamber or zone 32 intowhich the sleeve 24 and bag 25 are placed. The walls are preferablysmooth so that the bag 25 will not be torn or cut when in the compactingchamber 32 and sandwiched between the sleeve 24 and the walls of thecompacting chamber 32.

The compacting means 22 as shown in FIG, 1 includes a cylinder 26 havinga piston movably mounted therein, which is not shown. The piston carriesan elongated piston rod 28, which has a suitable compressing ram orplate 30 secured thereto. The compacting plate 30 is preferably of thesame cross-sectional configuration as, but slightly smaller than, theinterior of sleeve 24 and is mounted to the piston rod 28 by suitablesecuring means such as bolt 34. lt should be noted that the cylinder 26is held in position and the piston rod 28 is guided by a mounting andguide block assembly 36. The mounting and guide block assembly 36 issuitably secured to the housing 20 or to bracket or mounting meansextending inwardly from the housing walls. The compacting means 22 ispreferably driven by hydraulic fluid pumped from a pump means not shown.One such compacting means including the drive mechanism is disclosed inUS, Pat. Nov 3,424,078. The compacting means 22 can use a single-actinghydraulic circuit or double-acting hydraulic circuit or any suchhydraulic or pneumatic circuit which will allow the apparatus to operateefficiently. The housing 20 has a loading door 38, which is doublehinged at 40 and 42 so that the door can be opened vertically from thehousing for refusefeeding and swung horizontally from the housing forrefuse removal.

Door hinge 40 is preferably secured to a horizontal arm 44 allowing theloading door 38 to travel vertically approximately for refuse loading.

The horizontal arm 44 is preferably pivotally mounted to the housing 20so that it can be positioned adjacent the upper edge of a front plate 72of a dolly assembly when the dolly assembly is mounted in the housing.The horizontal arm 44 is a structural member preferably spanning thewidth of the compacting ma chine and is mounted to the compactingmachine by means of a vertically disposed hinge 42 at one extremity anda latch means at the other extremity. In the latched position. thehorizontal arm 44 provides distributed load restraints to the upperboundary or edge of the dolly assembly front plate 72 against thelateral forces induced by the compression loading. For refuse removal,the latch means is released and the horizontal arm 44 is rotated or moreabout its hinge line, so that the dolly assembly 70 carrying thecompacted refuse within the sleeve 24 and bag 25 can be withdrawn fordisposal.

The sleeve 24 comprises a plurality of panels 50 and a continuous upperreinforcing rim 52 which is secured to the upper surface of each panel50 by a preferred dimple construction 54 as shown in FIG. 3. Thepreferred dimple construction provides compression strength and rigidityto the upper perimeter of the panels 50 of the sleeve. The panels 50 arenot intercon nected to each other except through their individualinterconnection to the continuous reinforcing rim 52. As such, thepanels 50 when subjected to a force normal to their surface. such aswhen refuse within the sleeve 24 is being compacted, can expandoutwardly along their bottom edge about an axis defined by thecontinuous reinforcing rim 52. By designing the sleeve 24 to approximatethe dimensions of the compacting chamber or zone 32, the panels 50 canexpand during 5 compaction to thereby clamp the walls of the bag 25against the rigid walls of the chamber permitting the walls of thechamber to act as the principal surfaces for the resisting of theoutward movement of the refuse under the force of the ram 22.

The height of the plastic bag 25 is preferably maintained just below therim 52. The bag is maintained in position by an elastic restrainingstrap or band 53 placed over the plastic bag holding it against sleeve24. If desired, any portion of the plastic bag which would otherwiseextend upward past the restraining band 53 can be doubled back over orunder the restraining band.

Two of the panels 50, designated as panels 56, have handles 58 formedtherein which are used to remove the sleeve 24 from the compacted refuseand the bag 25 after the package has been removed from the housing 20.The ability of the sleeve 24 to resiliently expand along its lengthfacilitates removal of the sleeve from around the compacted refuse sincethe panels 50 can expand to accommodate removal of the sleeve. This expansion significantly reduces the friction forces which must be overcometo remove the sleeve from around the compacted refuse.

In addition, the other panels 50, designated as panels 60, have braceflanges 62 along their side edges which overlap the side edge of theadjacent paneis 56. This arrangement assists in avoiding tearing of thebag 25 resulting from the side edges of adjacent panels pinch Anotherembodiment of the sleeve is shown in FIG. 7. In this embodiment, theflanges 63 of the panels 60' are preferably trapezodial in configurationand overlap a significantly larger portion of the adjacent panel 56'than the previous flange 62.

This second embodiment further reduces the probability of tearing andsnagging of the plastic bag at the lower corners. Additional tearing ofthe plastic bag is minimized by providing the wider continuous flanges63' of each panel 60' so that the compacted refuse package can easily beextracted from the compactor compression chamber. When the dollyassembly with compacted refuse filled sleeve 24 and plastic bag 25 arebeing extracted there is a tendency for the panels to spread apart attheir lower extremity causing snagging of the bag. With the wider flange63' this tendency of snagging is greatly minimized.

The dimples construction 54 which secures the rim 52 to the panels andthe handles 58 preferably project inwardly into the interior of thesleeve so that only the substantially flat outer surface of the sleevecontacts the inner surface of the bag.

The combination rim and panel construction serves to achieve strengthagainst localized and distributed loading on the rim similar to a beamon an elastic foundation wherein the rim acts like a beam and the panelslike an elastic foundation. The reinforcing rim 52 also prevents tearingand destruction of the upper panel edges of the sleeve, and theindividual panel compressive strength and stability is increased by thenormal to panel pressure induced by the compaction loading, where eachpanel is sandwiched between the compression chamber walls of thecompactor and the refuse because of the lateral loading generated on therefuse being compacted.

The dolly assembly 70 as shown in FIG. 2 serves to provide thetransportation means for removing the compacted refuse within thepackaging bag and sleeve. The dolly assembly '70 comprises a wheeleddolly body with removable handle means 91. The dolly body can beintegrally constructed but preferably comprises a base plate 76, whichcan optionally include a flange 78 and a vertical front plate 72 securedto the base plate. I The base plate 76 is located at or near the bottomof the compression chamber 32 when the dolly assembly is placed inhousing in a vertical compression stroke compacting machine. The baseplate 76 may serve as, but is not restricted to, the structuralcomponent and lower boundary of the compression chamber in the lowerplane as well as the member holding sleeve 24. When the base plate 76serves as the bottom structural element, it has a greater thickness thanwhen the base plate is backed up by an additional plate which is rigidlysecured to the compacting machine to form a portion of the housing 20.If desired, the base plate can rest on brackets which provide structuralsupport for the base plate. The base plate 76 also serves as the lowerboundary and support for the dolly assembly 70 when the refuse compactedin the sleeve is to be moved from the compactor.

If desired, the base plate 76 can have dowels 86 protruding from itsbottom surface which serve to index and guide the dolly assembly 70 intoits proper location in the compression chamber 32 for the compactingmode of operation. The dowels 86 can be positioned in correspondingapertures, slots or notches 88 located in brackets secured to thehousing walls or in a base forming the bottom of the compressionchamber.

The dolly base plate 76 has a vertical front plate 72 secured thereto bysuitable fastening means such as fasteners or welding. As previouslymentioned, the base plate and front plate can be integrally constructed,if desired. The height of the front plate is such that it fits in thehousing to provide a substantially closed side of the compressionchamber.

A flange 46 is preferably integrally constructed with the vertical frontplate 72 and extends inward into the compression chamber. The flange 46bears down on the top of rim 52 of sleeve 24 to restrict the sleeve fromshifting or rising up during refuse compacting as the compacted refusetends to expand vertically when the cylinder plate load is removed fromcontact with the refuse during the several cycles of compacting andfilling the compactor with refuse. The construction of flange 46 allowshorizontal arm 44 to be swung open about the vertical hinge line shownon the right side of FIG. 5 even when a fully compacted refuse load hasnot been reached. At the same time, the tendency of the sleeve to riseabove its normally installed height is prevented. Thus, the refuse canbe compacted within the compactor at any level up to an elevation levelpreferably below that of the upper reinforcing rim 52.

In an alternate embodiment of the invention, dowel pins can be insertedthrough the horizontal arm 44 and secured thereto, to restrict themovement of sleeve 24. The dowel pins take the place of flange 46 andbear 'down on the rim 52 of the sleeve 24 to restrict the sleeve fromshifting or rising up during refuse compacting.

Dolly wheels 82 are rotatably mounted to the plate 72 by suitable meanssuch as wheel brackets 84. The dolly wheels 82 and their respectivebrackets 84 are preferably attached to the lower outboard face of thefront plate 72 to provide rolling action and pivot means for the dollyassembly when the dolly is tilted out of the compacting machine andmoved away carrying the sleeve package from the compaction machine. Afemale socket is preferably provided in each dolly wheel bracket 84, orin separate brackets, to position and hold the handle means 91 at itslower extremity. Means are provided relative to the floor or bottom ofthe compacting machine to unload the wheels during the compacting mode.If desired, the wheels can alternately be mounted to the base plate 76to provide rolling action for the dolly assembly.

The removable dolly handle means 91 has a frame 92, which is preferablyU-shaped and can be fabricated of pipe, tubing, or other suitablestructural shape to enable the dolly to be tilted, manipulated, pushedor pulled, in and out of the compaction apparatus. The handle frame 92is removed from the dolly during the compaction mode and may be clippedto the apparatus or to a wall of the room in which the compactionapparatus is located for storage purposes. The handle frame 92preferably has horizontal braces in at least two locations and latchmeans 98 adapted to hold sleeve 24. The upper brace 94 serves as astructural brace for the handle and can support the latch means 98 whichengages the sleeve 24. Alternately, the latch means 98 may be secured tothe front plate 72 to hold sleeve 24 when the dolly assembly is tiltedand removed from the compaction chamber 32.

As shown in FIG. 2, the refuse has been compacted into the sleeve andbag and the refuse removal process begun. The door latch has beenreleased and the door pivoted, causing the door to swing downwardapproximately 60. The horizontal arm latch means has been operated torelease the horizontal arm 44 so that the loading door can swing aboutpivot 42, freeing the front plate 72 of the dolly assembly.

After the loading door has been swung away, the bandle frame 92 ismounted into the wheel brackets and the latch means 98 on the handleframe or front panel is engaged to the sleeve 24. The handle frame 92 ispulled causing the dolly assembly 70 to pivot and disengage from thehousing 20 so that the refuse package and sleeve carried by the dollyassembly can be pulled or pushed to the desired discharge station, thesleeve removed and the refuse package disposed of.

A new bag is then placed around the sleeve 24 and the bag and sleeve arepositioned on empty dolly 70. The dolly is then placed into the housingto form the compaction chamber 32 with the bag 25 and sleeve 24positioned to receive bulk refuse for compaction therein through loadingdoor 38. Thus, the operation cycle repeats.

The upper rim 52 of the sleeve 24 is preferably fabricated of steel,with the sleeve panels 50 fabricated of aluminum. However, the sleeveassembly can be fabricated from other materials, such as plastic andmetals, for example, aluminum or a combination of plastic and metalsincluding for example singularly or in combination, metal rims; rigidplastic panels; rigid plastic reinforced rims; rigid plastic panels;semi-rigid plastic reinforced rims; semi-rigid plastic panels.

The use of a semi-rigid plastic sleeve material will minimize thepossibility of tearing of the flexible bag being protected by thesleeve. An accordion-type joint between adjacent panels 50 would affordsufficient joint expansion to facilitate removal of the sleeve FIGS.8-10 disclose this accordion-type joint between panels 56" and 60''. Inaddition to the accordion joint, the choice of semi-rigid plasticmaterial for the sleeve will minimize the possibility of tearing of theflexible bag by virtue of smoother, less abrasive edges of the sleevecoming into contact with the bag being protected. The specific region orzone improved by the use of semirigid plastic material for the sleeve isat the bottom edge or lower extremity of the sleeve assembly, where thesleeve panels rest on the bottom plane of the dolly assembly forming thecompactor compression chamber.

This difference in panel construction in the lower contact area isanalogous to the shearing action of a metal edge on the flexible plasticbag bearing on the bottom plane for the metal sleeve panel construction,in contrast with the reduced shearing action of a semirigid plastic edgeon the same flexible plastic bag bearing on the bottom plate for thesemi-rigid plastic sleeve panel construction.

The size and shape of the compaction chamber or zone 32 and sleeve 24 isnot critical so long as they are both generally the same and the sleeveis able to resiliently expand into contact with the walls of the chamberenabling the large lateral forces encountered during the compaction tobe absorbed by the walls of the compaction chamber and not the sleeve.This permits a design and construction for the sleeve which islightweight and easily removable from around the compacted refuse.

Supporting elements or shear pads 55 can additionally be affixed in asuitable combination with the compression chamber side frames, rearpanel and dolly front plate to minimize the compression loading near thetop edge of the sleeve panels. It is not necessary that the shear padsbe affixed to each of the two side frames, the rear panel and the frontplate of the dolly, and the addition of these supporting elements orshear pads does not hinder the extraction of the dolly as the dollyassembly is easily tilted even in the presence of the shear pads.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed,numerous modifications will occur to those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the inventive concept. Accordingly, it is intended andunderstood that the invention not be limited to the precise embodimentsas disclosed but only as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. Refuse-compaction and transportation apparatus comprising a housing,said housing defining a portion of the side walls of a compactionchamber, compaction means mounted in said housing, portabletransportation apparatus removably mounted in said housing, saidportable transportation apparatus comprising at least a base plate and afront plate secured to said base plate, said front plate defining aportion of the side walls of the compaction chamber, a sleeve positionedon said base plate and within said compaction chamber, said sleevecomprising a rigid reinforcement member at the upper end thereof and aplurality of panels mounted on and extending downwardly from saidreinforcement member, at least one of said panels being capable offlexing, at least at the lower region thereof, in a manner substantiallyindependent of adjacent panels, said compaction means being adapted tocompact refuse in said sleeve and against the side walls of saidcompaction chamber upon flexure of one or more of said panels.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including bag means fitted outsideand under said sleeve.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said front plate has means torestrict said sleeve from movement.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said sleeve movementrestriction means is a flange secured to said front plate.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim I wherein said sleeve comprises aplurality of plastic panels.

6. Refuse-handling and transportation apparatus comprising a housing,said housing defining a portion of the walls of a compression chamber,sleeve means positioned in said compression chamber and comprising asubstantially continuous reinforcing rim at the top thereof and aplurality of panels mounted on and extending downwardly from saidreinforcing rim, at least one of said panels being capable of flexing,at least at the bottom portion thereof, in a manner substantiallyindependent of adjacent panels, compaction means mounted in saidhousing, said compaction means being adapted to reciprocate into saidsleeve means to compact refuse placed therein, means to restrict saidsleeve means from vertical movement as the compacted refuse expandsagainst the walls of said compression chamber, a dolly apparatus adaptedto be positioned in said housing and defining a portion of the walls ofsaid compression chamber, said dolly apparatus comprising at least abase plate holding said sleeve means, said base plate serving to definethe base of said compression chamber and said sleeve means, and means toengage said sleeve when said dolly apparatus is removed from saidhousing.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said sleeve means isconstructed of semi-rigid plastic material.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, and further comprising handle meansadapted to be removably connected to said dolly apparatus and comprisinga substantially U-shaped frame, a lower brace secured to the legs ofsaid U-shaped frame, an upper brace connecting the legs of said U-shapedframe at a position closer to the web of said U-shaped frame than saidlower brace and sleeve restricting means comprising latches secured tosaid upper brace and adapted to engage said sleeve.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said sleeve means comprisestwo end panels and two side panels.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein two of said panels havetrapezodial shaped side flanges adapted to engage each adjacent panel.

11. Refuse handling apparatus comprising a compaction chamber defined bya plurality of side walls and a bottom, a flexible bag disposed in saidchamber, a removable sleeve having a substantially continuous and rigidreinforcing member and a plurality of flexible panels mounted on andextending downwardly from said reinforcing member, at least one of saidpanels being capable of flexing, at least at the lower region thereof,substantially independent of adjacent panels, said sleeve being fittedwithin said bag and adapted to expand under pressure against the sidewalls of the compaction chamber, and a vertically reciprocating ramcooperating with said sleeve to compact refuse within said sleeve andsaid bag.

12. Apparatus as claimed in-claim 11, wherein said substantially rigidreinforcing member is made of steel and said flexible panels are made ofsheet metal.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said sleeve comprises twoend panels and two side panels.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said side panels have aflange along each side edge thereof which overlaps the side edge of theadjacent end panel thereby defining a continuous form when said panelsare in repose.

15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein the flanges are trapezodialin shape.

16. For use in a vertical refuse-compaction machine of the typeemploying a vertically reciprocating ram in a compaction chamber tocompress refuse housed therein, a protective sleeve for protectingfragile containers, said sleeve comprising: a substantially continuousmounting rim at the upper portion thereof; and a plurality ofindependent panels mounted on and extending from said mounting rim todefine the lower portion of said sleeve; said mounting rim and saidpanels being associated so that when the reciprocating ram compressesrefuse in the compaction chamber, said panels expand into contact withthe side walls of the compaction chamber, and so that when the fragilecontainer is filled with compacted refuse, said panels can expand toenable said sleeve to be removed from the fragile container, said panelsbeing capable of flexing, at least at the bottom portions thereof, in amanner independent of adjacent panels.

17. The sleeve of claim 16, wherein at least two of said panels areprovided with flanges for overlapping adjacent panels, to thereby definea continuous form when said panels are in repose.

18. A vertical refuse-compaction and transportation apparatuscomprising: a housing defining the rear and side walls of a compactionchamber; a compaction ram mounted for vertical movement in said housingand adapted to compact refuse in said compaction chamber; a dollyremovably mounted in association with said housing and defining thebottom and rear wall of said compaction chamber; and a sleeve in saidcompaction chamber for protecting fragile containers against ruptureduring compaction of refuse in said compaction chamber, said sleevecomprising an upper reinforcing rim at the top thereof and a pluralityof panels flexibly mounted thereto and extending downwardly therefrom,at least the lower regions of said panels flexing against the front,rear and side walls of the compaction chamber, substantially independentof adjacent panels, during the compaction of refuse in said compactionchamber, and flexing against an associated fragile container after thecompaction of refuse and the removal of said dolly, to facilitate theremoval of the sleeve from the container once filled with compactedrefuse.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein at least two of said panels areprovided with flanges for overlapping adjacent panels, to thereby definea continuous form when said panels are in repose.

20. A vertical refuse compactor adapted for use with ,fragilerefuse-receiving containers comprising: a frame having two side wallsand a rear wall; a compaction chamber defined, in part, by the lowerregions of said side and rear walls; a ram mounted on said frame andadapted to move downwardly in said compaction chamber to compact refusewhich has been placed therein; a dolly removably mounted to said frameand defining the bottom and rear wall of said compaction chamber; asleeve removably carried by said dolly for insertion into said fragilecontainer, said sleeve comprising a substantially continuous mountingrim at the upper portion thereof, and a plurality of panels flexiblymounted on and extending downwardly from said mounting rim, for flexingagainst said fragile container and the front, rear and side walls ofsaid compaction chamber during the compaction of refuse therein, and forexpanding against said fragile container after removal of the dolly fromsaid frame to facilitate the removal of said sleeve from said fragilecontainer once filled with compacted refuse, at least one of said panelsbeing capable of flexing, at least at the lower region thereof, in amanner independent of adjacent panels.

21. The compactor of claim 20, wherein at least two of said panels areprovided with flanges for overlapping adjacent panels, to thereby definea continuous form when said panels are in repose.

22. Refuse-compaction and transportation apparatus comprising a housing,said housing defining a portion ofthe side walls of a compactionchamber, compaction means mounted in said housing, portabletransportation apparatus removably mounted in said housing, saidportable transportation apparatus comprising at least a base plate and afront plate secured to said base plate, said front plate defining aportion of the side walls of the compaction chamber, a sleeve positionedon said base plate and within said compaction chamber, said sleevecomprising a rigid reinforcement member at the upper end thereof and aplurality of panels mounted on and extending downwardly from saidreinforcement member, said compaction means being adapted to compactrefuse in said sleeve and against the side walls of said compactionchamber, wherein said front plate has means in the form of a flangesecured thereto for restricting said sleeve from movement.

23. Refuse-handling and transportation apparatus comprising a housing,said housing defining a portion of the walls of a compression chamber,sleeve means positioned in said compression chamber and comprising asubstantially continuous reinforcing rim at the top thereof and aplurality of panels mounted on and extending downwardly from saidreinforcing rim, compaction means mounted in said housing, said compaction means being adapted to reciprocate into said sleeve means tocompact refuse placed therein, means to restrict said sleeve means fromvertical movement as the compacted refuse expands against the walls ofsaid compression chamber, a dolly apparatus adapted to be positioned insaid housing and defining a portion of the walls of said compressionchamber, said dolly apparatus comprising at least a base plate holdingsaid sleeve means, said base plate serving to define the base of saidcompression chamber and said sleeve means, and means to engage saidsleeve when said dolly apparatus is removed from said housing, whereinsaid sleeve means comprises two ends panels and two side panels, andwherein two of said panels have trapezodial shaped side flanges adaptedto engage each adjacent panel.

1. Refuse-compaction and transportation apparatus comprising a housing,said housing defining a portion of the side walls of a compactionchamber, compaction means mounted in said housing, portabletransportation apparatus removably mounted in said housing, saidportable transportation apparatus comprising at least a base plate and afront plate secured to said base plate, said front plate defining aportion of the side walls of the compaction chamber, a sleeve positionedon said base plate and within said compaction chamber, said sleevecomprising a rigid reinforcement member at the upper end thereof and aplurality of panels mounted on and extending downwardly from saidreinforcement member, at least one of said panels being capable offlexing, at least at the lower region thereof, in a manner substantiallyindependent of adjacent panels, said compaction means being adapted tocompact refuse in said sleeve and against the side walls of saidcompaction chamber upon flexure of one or more of said panels. 2.Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including bag means fitted outside andunder said sleeve.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said frontplate has means to restrict said sleeve from movement.
 4. Apparatus asclaimed in claim 3 wherein said sleeve movement restriction means is aflange secured to said front plate.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1wherein said sleeve comprises a plurality of plastic panels. 6.Refuse-handling and transportation apparatus comprising a housing, saidhousing defining a portion of the walls of a compression chamber, sleevemeans positioned in said compression chamber and comprising asubstantially continuous reinforcing rim at the top thereof and aplurality of panels mounted on and extending downwardly from saidreinforcing rim, at least one of said panels being capable of flexing,at least at the bottom portion thereof, in a manner substantiallyindependent of adjacent panels, compaction means mounted in saidhousing, said compaction means being adapted to reciprocate into saidsleeve means to compact refuse placed therein, means to restrict saidsleeve means from vertical movement as the compacted refuse expandsagainst the walls of said compression chamber, a dolly apparatus adaptedto be positioned in said housing and defining a portion of the walls ofsaid compression chamber, said dolly apparatus comprising at least abase plate holding said sleeve means, said base plate serving to definethe base of said compression chamber and said sleeve means, and means toengage said sleeve when said dolly apparatus is removed from saidhousing.
 7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said sleeve meansis constructed of semi-rigid plastic material.
 8. Apparatus as claimedin claim 6, and further comprising handle means adapted to be removablyconnected to said dolly apparatus and comprising a substantiallyU-shaped frame, a lower brace secured to the legs of said U-shapedframe, an upper brace connecting the legs of said U-shaped frame at aposition closer to the web of said U-shaped frame than said lower braceand sleeve restricting means comprising latches secured to said upperbrace and adapted to engage said sleeve.
 9. Apparatus as claimed inclaim 6 wherein said sleeve means comprises two end panels and two sidepanels.
 10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein two of said panelshave trapezodial shaped side flanges adapted to engage each adjacentpanel.
 11. Refuse handling Apparatus comprising a compaction chamberdefined by a plurality of side walls and a bottom, a flexible bagdisposed in said chamber, a removable sleeve having a substantiallycontinuous and rigid reinforcing member and a plurality of flexiblepanels mounted on and extending downwardly from said reinforcing member,at least one of said panels being capable of flexing, at least at thelower region thereof, substantially independent of adjacent panels, saidsleeve being fitted within said bag and adapted to expand under pressureagainst the side walls of the compaction chamber, and a verticallyreciprocating ram cooperating with said sleeve to compact refuse withinsaid sleeve and said bag.
 12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, whereinsaid substantially rigid reinforcing member is made of steel and saidflexible panels are made of sheet metal.
 13. Apparatus as claimed inclaim 11, wherein said sleeve comprises two end panels and two sidepanels.
 14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said side panelshave a flange along each side edge thereof which overlaps the side edgeof the adjacent end panel thereby defining a continuous form when saidpanels are in repose.
 15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein theflanges are trapezodial in shape.
 16. For use in a verticalrefuse-compaction machine of the type employing a verticallyreciprocating ram in a compaction chamber to compress refuse housedtherein, a protective sleeve for protecting fragile containers, saidsleeve comprising: a substantially continuous mounting rim at the upperportion thereof; and a plurality of independent panels mounted on andextending from said mounting rim to define the lower portion of saidsleeve; said mounting rim and said panels being associated so that whenthe reciprocating ram compresses refuse in the compaction chamber, saidpanels expand into contact with the side walls of the compactionchamber, and so that when the fragile container is filled with compactedrefuse, said panels can expand to enable said sleeve to be removed fromthe fragile container, said panels being capable of flexing, at least atthe bottom portions thereof, in a manner independent of adjacent panels.17. The sleeve of claim 16, wherein at least two of said panels areprovided with flanges for overlapping adjacent panels, to thereby definea continuous form when said panels are in repose.
 18. A verticalrefuse-compaction and transportation apparatus comprising: a housingdefining the rear and side walls of a compaction chamber; a compactionram mounted for vertical movement in said housing and adapted to compactrefuse in said compaction chamber; a dolly removably mounted inassociation with said housing and defining the bottom and rear wall ofsaid compaction chamber; and a sleeve in said compaction chamber forprotecting fragile containers against rupture during compaction ofrefuse in said compaction chamber, said sleeve comprising an upperreinforcing rim at the top thereof and a plurality of panels flexiblymounted thereto and extending downwardly therefrom, at least the lowerregions of said panels flexing against the front, rear and side walls ofthe compaction chamber, substantially independent of adjacent panels,during the compaction of refuse in said compaction chamber, and flexingagainst an associated fragile container after the compaction of refuseand the removal of said dolly, to facilitate the removal of the sleevefrom the container once filled with compacted refuse.
 19. The apparatusof claim 18, wherein at least two of said panels are provided withflanges for overlapping adjacent panels, to thereby define a continuousform when said panels are in repose.
 20. A vertical refuse compactoradapted for use with fragile refuse-receiving containers comprising: aframe having two side walls and a rear wall; a compaction chamberdefined, in part, by the lower regions of said side and rear walls; aram mounted on said frame and adapted to move downwardly in saidcompaction chamber to compact refuse which has been placed therein; adolly removably mounted to said frame and defining the bottom and rearwall of said compaction chamber; a sleeve removably carried by saiddolly for insertion into said fragile container, said sleeve comprisinga substantially continuous mounting rim at the upper portion thereof,and a plurality of panels flexibly mounted on and extending downwardlyfrom said mounting rim, for flexing against said fragile container andthe front, rear and side walls of said compaction chamber during thecompaction of refuse therein, and for expanding against said fragilecontainer after removal of the dolly from said frame to facilitate theremoval of said sleeve from said fragile container once filled withcompacted refuse, at least one of said panels being capable of flexing,at least at the lower region thereof, in a manner independent ofadjacent panels.
 21. The compactor of claim 20, wherein at least two ofsaid panels are provided with flanges for overlapping adjacent panels,to thereby define a continuous form when said panels are in repose. 22.Refuse-compaction and transportation apparatus comprising a housing,said housing defining a portion of the side walls of a compactionchamber, compaction means mounted in said housing, portabletransportation apparatus removably mounted in said housing, saidportable transportation apparatus comprising at least a base plate and afront plate secured to said base plate, said front plate defining aportion of the side walls of the compaction chamber, a sleeve positionedon said base plate and within said compaction chamber, said sleevecomprising a rigid reinforcement member at the upper end thereof and aplurality of panels mounted on and extending downwardly from saidreinforcement member, said compaction means being adapted to compactrefuse in said sleeve and against the side walls of said compactionchamber, wherein said front plate has means in the form of a flangesecured thereto for restricting said sleeve from movement. 23.Refuse-handling and transportation apparatus comprising a housing, saidhousing defining a portion of the walls of a compression chamber, sleevemeans positioned in said compression chamber and comprising asubstantially continuous reinforcing rim at the top thereof and aplurality of panels mounted on and extending downwardly from saidreinforcing rim, compaction means mounted in said housing, saidcompaction means being adapted to reciprocate into said sleeve means tocompact refuse placed therein, means to restrict said sleeve means fromvertical movement as the compacted refuse expands against the walls ofsaid compression chamber, a dolly apparatus adapted to be positioned insaid housing and defining a portion of the walls of said compressionchamber, said dolly apparatus comprising at least a base plate holdingsaid sleeve means, said base plate serving to define the base of saidcompression chamber and said sleeve means, and means to engage saidsleeve when said dolly apparatus is removed from said housing, whereinsaid sleeve means comprises two ends panels and two side panels, andwherein two of said panels have trapezodial shaped side flanges adaptedto engage each adjacent panel.